Does It Really Have To End ‘Happily Ever After’?

March 18, 2016March 7, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

beginnings

I’m a big reader of contemporary romances – the proverbial ‘happy ever after’ stuff. For a change of pace, I’ve decided to read books that end not quite so happy. Here’s a selection of titles.

Rainwater – Sandra Brown – In a time of drought and economic depression in 1934, Ella Barron runs her boardinghouse in Texas while caring for her son, Solly, and responds to the calm influence of one of her boarders, David Rainwater, while facing the tension and uncertainty around her.

The Pilot’s Wife – Anita Shreve – When her husband, a pilot, dies in an airplane crash off the Irish coast, Kathryn Lyons finds herself in the media spotlight as rumors abound of her husband’s shocking secret past.

The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje – Portrays the convergence of four damaged lives in a bomb-riddled Italian villa in the last days of the war.

The Awakening – Kate Chapin – In turn-of-the century New Orleans, Edna Pontellier, a woman who feels trapped in her stifling role as wife and mother, falls passionately in love with another man.

Me Before You – JoJo Moyes – Taking a job as an assistant to extreme sports enthusiast Will, who is wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident, Louisa struggles with her employer’s acerbic moods and learns of his shocking plans before demonstrating to him that life is still worth living.

Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger – Passionately in love, Clare and Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel.

My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult – Conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister, teenage Kate begins to question her moral obligations in light of countless medical procedures and decides to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body.

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein – Evaluating his life on the eve of his death, atypical canine Enzo considers the sacrifices his master, Denny Swift, has made in his pursuit of becoming a professional race car driver, and the dog’s own efforts to preserve the Swift family.

Bridges of Madison County – Robert James Walker – On assignment shooting the covered bridges in Iowa, photographer Robert Kincaid falls in love with Iowa native Francesca Johnson during four days of love, magic, and beauty.

The Girl With The Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier – A poor seventeenth-century servant girl knows her place in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, but when he begins to paint her, nasty whispers and rumors circulate throughout the town.

Staff Favorites from 2015

March 12, 2016March 5, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

so many 2

Working at a library affords the staff an abundance of materials to read, listen to, and watch. But being surrounded by this bounty can be frustrating too. Like many of you, time is against us. But the staff did manage to fit in some reading and if you’re wondering what our favorites of 2015 were, here they are!

Non-fiction

Keep Moving and other tips and truths about aging – Dick Van Dyke – A movie and TV star, as he approaches his 90th birthday, shares how to embrace old age with a positive attitude.

Bargain Fever: how to shop in a discounted world – Mark Ellwood – An investigation into bargain hunting traces the evolution of promotional pricing and sales, exploring the impact of negotiable pricing on markets, the machinations of price consultants, and the growing empowerment of consumers.

When the Balls Drop – Brad Garrett – In an uproarious collection of personal essays, the Everybody Loves Raymond TV sitcom star and standup comic, embracing middle age with everything he’s got, touches on such topics as genetics, genitals, weight and women, leaving no stone unturned in a funny look at getting older.

Modern Romance – Aziz Ansari – The acclaimed comedian teams up with a New York University sociologist to explore the nature of modern relationships, evaluating how technology is shaping contemporary relationships and considering the differences between courtships of the past and present.

Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption – Bryan Stevenson – The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama recounts his experiences as a lawyer working to assist those desperately in need, reflecting on his pursuit of the ideal of compassion in American justice.

Children

Wonder – R.J. Palacio – Born with a facial deformity that initially prevented his attendance at public school, Auggie Pullman enters the fifth grade at Beecher Prep and struggles with the dynamics of being both new and different, in a sparsely written tale about acceptance and self-esteem.

Fiction

Second Chance Summer – Jill Shalvis – When Lily Danville returns to her despised hometown for a job at the local resort, she gets a second chance to make things work with rescue worker and fire fighter Aidan Kincaid, whom she left behind ten years earlier.

The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah – Reunited when the elder’s husband is sent to fight in World War II, French sisters Vianne and Isabelle find their bond as well as their respective beliefs tested by a world that changes in horrific ways.

Friction – Sandra Brown – Petitioning to regain custody of his young daughter in the aftermath of a reckless decision, a Texas Ranger intervenes during the attempted assassination of an attractive judge, who he risks his life to protect when the gunman escapes.

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt – Taken in by a wealthy family friend after surviving an accident that killed his mother, thirteen-year-old Theo Decker tries to adjust to life on Park Avenue.

The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins – Obsessively watching a breakfasting couple every day to escape the pain of her losses, Rachel witnesses a shocking event that inextricably entangles her in the lives of strangers.

All The Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr – A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with respective beliefs after meeting on the Brittany coast.

The Martian – Andy Weir – Stranded on Mars by a dust storm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways.

Seveneves – Neal Stephenson – Five thousand years after a catastropic event sends a small surviving remnant of humanity into outer space, the progeny of those survivors–seven distinct races now three billion strong–embark on a journey into the unknown to return to Earth.

Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel – The sudden death of a Hollywood actor during a production of “King Lear” marks the beginning of the world’s dissolution in a story told at various past and future times from the perspectives of the actor and four of his associates.

This Gun For Hire – Jo Goodman – While protecting a powerful mine owner with many enemies, former cavalryman Quill McKenna hires a flame-haired beauty to help guard his boss’s daughter, but is unable to control his attraction to his new employee as death threats come hard and fast.

Karen Memory – Elizabeth Bear – A tale set in late nineteenth century steampunk Seattle finds orphaned Karen working in a high-quality bordello, where she confronts a powerful man who owns a dangerous mind-control machine.

Uprooted – Naomi Novik – A tale inspired by the “Beauty and the Beast” story follows the experiences of Agnieszka, who becomes the latest girl chosen to serve an immortal wizard who protects their village from the malevolent forces of a nearby forest.

The Aeronaut’s Windlass – Jim Butcher – An airship’s crew become humanity’s lone defenders when an ancient enemy reawakens and threatens the world with monstrous creatures and perpetual darkness.

Palisades Park – Alan Brennert – Sharing a family life in the 1930s near the legendary Palisades Amusement Park, a family of dreamers explores ambitions and cultural boundaries that are challenged by the realities of the Great Depression, multiple wars and the park’s eventual closing in 1971

A Man Called Ove – Fredrick Backman – A curmudgeon hides a terrible personal loss beneath a cranky and short-tempered exterior while clashing with new neighbors, a boisterous family whose chattiness and habits lead to unexpected friendship

All The Stars In The Heavens – Adriana Trigani – This tale reimagines the career of actress Loretta Young, tracing the decades she shared with her assistant Alda, a former nun, as they face successes, scandals, and obstacles that threatened their bond.

Two books were standouts with multiple staff reading them – The Martian and The Nightingale.

Did you read any of these? What were your favorite books of 2015?

New Cozy Mysteries are Here!

March 7, 2016March 5, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

mystery

Every month, we get a batch of new cozy mystery books. Here are some of the latest. Pick your favorite series or start a new one!

On Thin Icing (A Bakeshop Mystery) – Ellie Alexander – While catering a retreat at the nearby Lake of the Woods Resort, Jules finds things going from bad to worse when her estranged husband shows up determined to reconcile and she stumbles upon a dead body while going to pick up extra supplies.

Sweet Pepper Hero (A Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery) – J.J. Cook – Called in to investigate a local moonshine distillery that was set ablaze, fire chief Stella Griffin, while preparing to judge the annual recipe contest, turns to the town’s elders for answers and discovers a revived whiskey war that could cause her town to go down in flames.

One Foot in the Grove (An Olive Grove Mystery) – Kelly Lane – While licking her wounds on her family’s olive plantation after a personal scandal, Eva Knox is immersed in a murder investigation after a dead body is unearthed on her family’s farm and she becomes the prime suspect in the case.

Copy Cap Murder (A Hat Shop Mystery) – Jenn McKinlay – To promote their hat shop, Scarlett Parker and her cousin, Vivian, wear their most outrageous creations to a swanky soiree hosted by their friend Harrison Wentworth who, after his business rival is murdered during the festivities, needs their help to prove his innocence.

Foreign Eclairs (A White House Chef Mystery) – Julie Hyzy – When she becomes part of a bold strategy to make sure a terrorist gets his just desserts, White House executive chef Ollie Paras must stop a killer from serving up an ice-cold dish of revenge. Includes recipes for a complete presidential menu.

To Helvetica and Back (A Dangerous Type Mystery) – Paige Shelton – When the man who demanded that they give him an antique typewriter winds up dead, Chester Henry and his adult granddaughter, Clare, who repair old typewriters and restore old books, must discover which of the dusty, old typewriter’s secrets are worth killing for.

A Ghoul’s Guide to Love and Murder (A Ghost Hunter Mystery) – Victoria Laurie – When the very dagger that keeps the dangerous ghost Oruc and his pet demon locked down in the lower realms is stolen while they are promoting their new film, M.J., Heath and Gilley must enlist a skeptical Boston detective to help stop the paranormal party guests from crashing Gilley’s wedding.

A Disguise to Die For (A Costume Shop Mystery) – Diane Vallere – When her customer, wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners, is murdered and party planner Ebony Welles is accused of the crime, costume-shop owner Margo Tamblyn must unmask the real killer to save her friend.

For Cheddar or Worse (A Cheese Shop Mystery) – Avery Aames – When pretentious cheese critic Lara Berry is murdered during the annual Cheese Festival in Providence, Ohio, and her best friend stands accused of the crime, cheese-shop owner Charlotte Bessett must slice through the clues to carve out a clever killer to save her friend.

The Grim Steeper (A Teapot Collector Mystery) – Amanda Cooper – During the Fall Fling Townwide Tea Party in the quaint Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove, Sophie Taylor, along with her Nana and their friends, the Silver Spouts, must clear her boyfriend’s name of murder after the dean who accused him of falsifying grades is found dead.

A Whisker of Trouble (A Second Chance Cat Mystery) – Sofie Ryan – The owner of a second hand shop in North Harbor, Maine, Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, must sniff out a killer when they stumble upon a dead body while searching for fabulous finds on the estate of collector Edison Hall.

A Turn For The Bad (A County Cork Mystery) – Sheila Connolly -When a farmer goes missing and a body washes ashore on the Cork coast, Boston expat Maura Donovan, after listening to the suspicions of her employee, decides to investigate on her own and gets in way over her head.

It’s A Wonderful Knife (A Comfort Food Mystery) – Christine Wenger – With a broken leg and busy diner during the holiday season, Trixie Matkowski also finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of Liz Fellows, the director of the local Christmas pageant who was found with Trixie’s butcher knife in her back.

Town In A Cinnamon Toast (A Candy Holliday Murder Mystery) – B.B. Haywood – To save her friend’s wedding, Maine blueberry farmer and occasional sleuth Candy Holliday must put her maid-of-honor duties to the test when the best man is found dead, which exposes a conspiracy that could change the quiet coastal town of Cape Willington forever.

A Familiar Tail (A Witch’s Cat Mystery) – Delia James – Artist Annabelle Britton, who is unlucky in love, arrives in the quaint seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she finds herself unexpectedly saddled with a witch’s wand, a furry familiar and a coven of witches who gather together to keep the town safe from evil.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

February 24, 2016February 15, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what to read

So we’re into the new year. What did you decide to read? The newest best-seller, older fiction? Or maybe you wanted to give the old brain some stimulation by reading some non-fiction. Let’s see how what you choose to read compares to what’s trending lately at CPL.

Top Five New Fiction

The Murder House – James Patterson -Returning to the luxurious Hamptons of her youth to investigate the murders of a Hollywood power broker and his mistress, Detective Jenna Murphy uncovers links between the case and a series of unsolved killings.

Memory Man – David Baldacci – More than a year after the most tragic event in Amos Decker’s life, a man confesses to murdering his family and Amos, called to help with the investigation, struggles with the memories.

X – Sue Grafton – A serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes challenges Kinsey Milhone’s skills to solve the case before she becomes his next victim.

Saturn Run – John Sanford – When a Caltech intern notices what seems to be a spaceship decelerating towards Saturn, a new space race begins as governments hurry to get their hands on the technology.

A Banquet of Consequences – Elizabeth George – Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers are drawn from Cambridge to London as they investigate any possible connections between the suicide of a young man who leaped to his death from a Dorset cliff and a murder by poisoning in Cambridge.

Rounding out the top ten – Cross Justice–James Patterson; Scandalous Behavior–Stuart Woods; The Theory of Death–Faye Kellerman; Rogue Lawyer–John Grisham; The Melody Lingers– Mary Higgins Clark

Top Five Fiction

The Litigators–John Grisham – Law firm partners Oscar Finley and Wally Figg see a chance for huge financial gain when they learn of a pending class action lawsuit against the makers of Krayoxx, a popular cholesterol-reducing drug suspected of causing heart attacks.

Daddy’s Gone Hunting – Mary Higgins Clark – When her sister is wrongly implicated in an explosion that has destroyed her family’s priceless antiques business and killed an employee, Hannah struggles to find clues in the ashes and discovers a life-threatening secret from the past.

Orphan Train – Christina Kline – Close to aging out of the foster care system, Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer takes a community service position helping an elderly woman named Vivian clean out her home and discovers that they are more alike than different as she helps Vivian solve a mystery from her past.

The Runaway Jury – John Grisham – Goes behind the doors of a jury room to reveal what happens among members of a jury in the middle of deliberations as one powerful leader of the jury works to sway the verdict.

Sing You Home – Jodie Picoult – Ten years of infertility issues culminate in the destruction of music therapist Zoe Baxter’s marriage, after which she falls in love with another woman and wants to start a family, but her ex-husband, Max, stands in the way.

Rounding out the top ten – The Goldfinch–Donna Tartt; Top Secret Twenty-one–Janet Evanovich; Winter Street– Erin Hildebrand; The Escape–David Baldacci; Loves Music, Loves To Dance–Mary Higgins Clark

Top Five New Non-Fiction

Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania – Erik Larson -A chronicle of the sinking of the Lusitania discusses the factors that led to the tragedy and the contributions of such figures as Woodrow Wilson, bookseller Charles Lauriat, and architect Theodate Pope Riddle.

Down The Rabbit Hole – Holly Madison – A former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner describes how her years inside the Playboy Mansion went from a fairytale of A-list celebrity parties to an oppressive regime of strict rules, scheduled sex, and a total loss of identity, so much so that she even contemplated suicide.

Killing Reagan – Bill O’reilly – Recounts President Reagan’s career, discussing his time in Hollywood, the beginning of his political career, and overcoming the trauma of an assassination attempt.

Spark Joy – Marie Kando – Offers an illustrated guide to organizing closets, folding clothes, and minimizing clutter.

The Egg And I – Betty MacDonald – Relates the experiences of a young couple in their attempts to succeed on a run-down chicken farm.

Rounding out the top ten – The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to New York City–Rob Gardner; Fodor’s New York City 2016; $2 A Day: living on almost nothing–Kathryn Edin; Gluten-Free Girl American Classics Reinvented–Shauna James Ahern; The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook–Danny Bowien

Top Five Non-Fiction

Hip Knit Hats: 40 fabulous designs – Offers forty designs for caps, buckets, berets, tams, and felted hats.

The Necklace – Describes how thirteen women combined forces and funds to jointly purchase a diamond necklace that they would share, revealing how a simple agreement to share a piece of jewelry became a study in friendship, adventure, possibility, and the power of giving back.

Scott 2011 Standard Postage Stamp Catalog

The New Prayer Shawl Companion – This book features 34 prayer shawl patterns that will inspire knitters of all skill levels and features designs for moments of celebration and for times of solace and remembrance.

Autobiographies: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – A new one-volume edition of an American classic offers the complete memoirs of the eloquent escaped slave, who in the nineteenth century shaped the abolitionist movement and became the most influential African-American of his era.

Rounding out the top ten – Opera 101; Mars and Venus In the Bedroom; The Commons ense Guide to Running Your Own Business; Chicken Soup for the Parents Soul; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

Great Non-Fiction Reads of 2015

February 11, 2016January 7, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

books

2015 was a banner year for great non-fiction publications. But if you’re like most people, life probably got in the way of being able to read them all. Highlighted below are some of the non-fiction books of 2015 that garnered extra positive attention.

Hammer Head: the making of a carpenter – Nina MacLaughlin – Combining sage advice from Ovid and Mary Oliver with practical descriptions of tools and varieties of wood, the author, who quit her desk job to become a carpenter, shares her joys and frustrations of learning to make things by hand in an occupation that is 99% male.

Thunder & Lightning: weather past, present, future – Lauren Redniss – Focusing on the intricate nature of the world around us, as well as the personal relationship we all have to the weather, a National Book Award finalist and visionary writer—combining personal stories with history, interviews, scientific research and full-color photos—explores the transformative power of weather.

Notorious RBG: the life and times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg– Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik – In a lively illustrated biography of the feminist icon and legal pioneer, readers can get to know the Supreme Court Justice and fierce Jewish grandmother, who has changed the world despite the struggle with the unfinished business of gender equality and civil rights, standing as a testament to what a little chutzpah can do.

Witches of America – ALex Mar – Examines paganism and the occult, from its roots in 1950s England to its current American mecca in the Bay Area, and from a gathering of more than a thousand witches in the Illinois woods to the New Orleans branch of one of the world’s most influential magical societies.

The Monopolists: obsession, fury, and the scandal behind the world’s favorite board game – Mary Pilon – Tracing back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie, and presenting a remarkable social history of corporate greed, the inside story of the world’s most famous board game reveals how Monopoly came into existence.

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble – Zac Bissonnette – In the annals of consumer crazes, nothing compares to Beanie Babies. With no advertising or big-box distribution, creator Ty Warner – an eccentric college dropout – become a billionaire in just three years. And it was all thanks to collectors. The end of the craze was just as swift and extremely devastating, with “rare” Beanie Babies deemed worthless as quickly as they’d once been deemed priceless. Bissonnette draws on hundreds of interviews (including a visit to a man who lives with his 40,000 Ty products and an in-prison interview with a guy who killed a coworker over a Beanie Baby debt) for the first book on the most extraordinary craze of the 1990s.

The Folded Clock: a diary – Heidi Julavits – A critically acclaimed author discovers her old diaries in a storage container and reacquaints herself with a much younger version of the person she became, musing on time, self, youth, friendship, romance, faith, fate and betrayal.

Clementine: the life of Mrs. Winston Churchill – Sonia Purnell – A portrait of Winston Churchill’s extraordinary wife and her lesser-known role in World War II discusses her relationship with political mentor Eleanor Roosevelt, her role in safeguarding Churchill’s health throughout key historical events, and her controversial family priorities.

Two Hours: the quest to run the impossible marathon – Ed Caesar – Delving into the science, physiology and psychology involved in running so fast, for so long, a first-of-its-kind book on marathons invites readers into the world of elite runners, showing us why this most democratic of races retains its savage, enthralling appeal—and why we are drawn to testing ourselves to the limit.

Sinatra: The Chairman – James Kaplan – Presents a behind-the-scenes examination of the life and career of the legendary performer that offers insight into his prolific accomplishments, multidimensional character, and complex relationships.

We Were Brothers – Barry Moser – The author recalls his youth with his brother, considering in prose and illustrations how he and his brother came to be such very different people, and eventually became completely alienated from one another, before finally reconciling in spite of their differences.

Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl – Carrie Brownstein – The guitarist and vocalist of feminist punk trio Sleater-Kinney presents a candid and deeply personal assessment of life in the rock-and-roll industry that reveals her struggles with rock’s double standards and her co-development of the comedy “Portlandia.”